Knowing James is a dad makes him even more wholesome

A like new GBA being in the junk area for minor issues is peak Japan stores, in the US that would been in a glass, locked case and cost $200+ easy.

I love the idea of a white Australian man walking through a cramped game store in Japan with his wife and children, going up to the clerk, and handing them "Panty Party".

I now want a trip to Japan with James and Wade, where they rent a car and tour Hard Offs. That's it. That's all the video needs to be. 45 minutes of two guys going to Japanese Cashies please.

James Channel

"The 'de' is French" got me good, thank you for that.

The "holy sh*t" I yelled out when the GBA dock just worked. I watched Retro Future's video on it and the trouble he had getting it to work, and then you posted about it on FP and I swore it would be a whole hassle to get it working. Nope, worked right away

I went to Japan in September 2023. I bought a Saturn from super potato for ¥33000 and later found several in the hard-off in Akiba for less than ¥2000 each. 100% agreed super potato’s prices are ridiculous.

No way, a dankpods and James channel upload the same day???

This is absolutely perfect timing I just went from one Australian who likes to yell to to a Australian who likes video games

_"And they ALL end in 'OFF'!"_ Don't worry, offHouse, *_I_* noticed you *started* with OFF! ♥️

6:44 I’d like to imagine the Japanese definition of “junk” is essentially what “clearance” is to us English speakers. Primarily given how R and L sound relatively the same in Japanese.

A single store getting big enough to spread out over multiple physical locations is really cool. There actually used to be a few stores in Toronto like this, but they are all long gone now.

The Sevii Islands are exclusive to Fire Red/Leaf Green and were intended as a way for players to be able to acquire the 100 Pokemon added in Generation 2 since they couldn't trade with Gold/Silver/Crystal, and they didn't want to include them in the original Kanto areas, so they made a new region. Unfortunately, lots of them aren't actually able to be acquired, since a lot of Pokemon were only unlocked with the E-reader, a card scanning attachment that worked with certain cards, but it wasn't released outside of Japan (if I remember correctly).

£80 for a Sharp Famicom Twin system! Wow!! Some nice finds James. That GBA Advance tv out thing was really cool

3:26 You have a child?! James Lore intensifies!

I can’t get over the fact you have Panty Party for the Switch sitting between a magnet mount for a DS and DDR for the PS2.

I cannot imagine a single other person who I would gladly watch play an 80’s whack a mole video game

Thrift Gaming in Japan must be so fun! Lucky you!

8:39 sounds like the old tornado sirens I grew up with 😂

6:36 Quadra 700! You could run a whole park from one room with minimal staff for up to 3 days with one of those!

Such a great day when ol' mate James and fair dinkum aussie Wade both upload videos on the same day.

Hard-Off is called that because of selling used hardware, usually electronics. That Racing 112 machine appears to play like Atari's 'Street Racer'.

I visited that first shop in akihabara recently. It really is worlds apart from anything we have in australia. Just so crazy to see things that were only rumours when I was a kid!

I got back from Japan a few weeks ago and I travelled from place to place and I got my most expensive stuff from Fukuoka and Hiroshima which resulted in me getting a fully working super famicom for ¥2500, when a similar one would have cost me anywhere from ¥9000-¥22000 in Akihabara.

The way they take care of everything as well, its so easy to find complete in box items as opposed to the west

Seeing Tetsujin 28 in a James Channel video is a very surreal experience.

8:51 nah thats music to my ears

"junk" bins in japanese stores are usually for used and sometimes light damaged goods, they're not literally junk as we would understand it but often just untested the shots of akiba made me nostalgic I haven't gone there since 2018

QUICK, TO THE SAUSAGE PLANE!

Hope you had a good time, your kid is lucky to have all these cool adventures.

So fantastic, did the same thing last year with a friend. The Hard-off's near train lines were often picked clean, but a friend of mine hired a car and found me a mint virtual boy in box at one you can only get to with a car, so that advice is great. I wish I knew about beep in Akihabara and I wish I had explored that area more for retro systems. Cool stuff!

Already waiting for a part 2 this was awesome

I can't wait to just spend everything I have at Hard Off when I go to Japan next year.

for best prices/selection leave Tokyo as much as you can, nagoya, kobe sendai all have bookoff/hardoff stores you will love

I once found a Wii mote with dirty connectors for 100 yen… cleaned it up and it worked perfectly. The junk section of handoff is always fun.

0:10 man you travel light

GiGo is also one of the eligible leagues for the "Bemani Pro League" a series of rhythm game tournaments, to the point of having special music select themes for Konami's on going Beatmania IIDX series

I'd love to see a James-style hot glue and duct tape GBA SP AV out mod video

In Japan, ‘Junk’ normally means ‘Not Tested’ or ‘Not Turned On’, which is why most products that are labeled junk work

The more I learn about James the more I think the guy is not human, good mechanic, good with electronics and he can speak japanese apparently? Man

Just wanted to say, I'm really glad to hear you shout-out BEEP and acknowledge that Super Potato is overpriced. It seems like every game-collecting KZfaqr in Japan, or Japantuber doing the requisite Akihabara video, can't help but talk up what a magical, incredible place Super Potato is. And yeah, the retro arcade is cool and there's some good merch to be found there, but the fact is... it's a tourist trap. Literally everything there is overpriced. You want actual competitive prices on retro games and hardware in Akihabara, BEEP really is the place to go -- there, the Suruga-ya Game-kan right next door to BEEP, and (surprisingly!) Trader #1. (Some would also add Friends or Retro Game Camp to the list of must-browse spots, and I would certainly recommend checking both out just in case, but it's unlikely you'll find anything there that BEEP, Suruga-ya Game-kan, or Trader #1 doesn't have on offer for a much lower price.) Also glad you mentioned Nakano Broadway! Prices there can vary pretty wildly (and sadly do tend toward the inflated for retro games), but it's nonetheless one of the coolest places to shop on the entire planet as far as I'm concerned. I simply adore Nakano Broadway for its chaotic quirkiness and unapologetically old-school aesthetics. It's basically a flea market of the highest caliber, and the sheer variety of things you'll find there (including from non-Mandarake locations) is staggering. If you should ever find yourself in Japan again, I highly recommend looking up "Eco Town Hachioji Owada" on Google Maps and making the trip out west of Tokyo proper to check it out. You mentioned the "Off" brand stores in this video -- well, Eco Town in Hachioji is one of the central hubs for their entire operation. Within one massive interconnected complex of like three different four-story buildings, you'll find a Book-Off, Hard-Off, Hobby-Off, Off House, Mode Off, and Liquor Off. And I don't just mean, like, there's one of each of those inside some unrelated mall -- no, those six "Off" brand stores ARE the mall, utilizing every corner of every floor of each of those buildings, each one representing the very best of its kind. The Hard-Off and Book-Off there are the biggest and most well-stocked I've ever seen, the Hobby Off is like the most incredible toy store you've ever laid eyes upon, the Off House is basically a mansion's worth of Cashies (complete with an everything's-for-sale art gallery and the biggest furniture selection I've ever seen in Japan)... it's absolutely incredible. And best of all, it's like, right at the base of Mt. Takao, so even if it's hard to justify going all the way out to some of the westernmost parts of Tokyo-to just for retro game shopping, you can justify it by the absolutely stunning (and family-friendly) mountain hike with some of the best views of Tokyo you'll ever see.

should always be noted when japanese secondhand electronics are at play that "junk" just means untested rather than garbage, trashed, thrashed, or in especially poor condition.

Old memory from when they originally came out, but I'm 99% sure there's a super easy RGB mod for the Tv de Advance. Though there's other ways to get a cleaner picture nowadays, so it's probably better leaving it that kit as stock.

Man, that has got to be the most yellowed Famicom I've ever seen.

You should make the cartridge from the special edition of world championships NES edition actually work as a cartridge in a MES.

Bought a "broken" Phat PS2 for around 13 USD$ back in 2016 when visiting my cousin living in Japan. Fixed by just replacing the CMOS battery and a ribbon cable for the reset/eject buttons

I have that video out mod around somewhere, never used it. Mother bought it for me back in the day, but did not check model compatibility.

3:06 (back on track from geometry dash starts playing)

Got an overdose of nostalgia seeing those game stores. Think there's maybe a handful left in the UK and you have to really hunt them down, big pawnbroker chains have completely decimated and sanitized the entire concept.

9 minutes of Advising for Japan. Really good stuff tho. Dude Really enjoyed himself.

Japan's culture of Shintoism has made it so that nearly all Japanese people treat their possessions with a degree of respect that those of us in western cultures would think is silly, but that just means if you buy something 2nd hand in Japan, there's a 99.8% chance it's going to be in near-mint condition.

Beep! is amazing, they have things that even other stores in Japan didn't have. Marui Annex Shopping Complex in Shinjuku is also amazing. 15 dollar N64 controllers that are mint. Mint I tell you!

Super potato is one of my absolute favorite retro game stores to visit in JP. When I went, prices were still pretty reasonable though

Japan Thrift store is the best thing in the world. I can spend a whole day inside and came back tomorrow repeat it again

i love your videos, always excited to see you upload! hope you upload more i could watch these all day

And now i know how you got that Casio Loopy.

starting off with Big Crappy is incredible. glad you’re back mate!

JUNK is a weird phrase. I first saw it on ebay on Gameboy. The english descriptions were kinda rough so I thought it must be a translation issue, it means something different for them. Usually they check the item and if it doesn't come on on first try or has button or sound issues it's automatically labeled as JUNK. Sometimes all it needs is a disassembly and cleaning the battery contacts (leaky battery can be severe too), clearning the pads under the buttons (just some rubbing alcohol) but sometimes you need soldering skills to replace a spear, a power button or potentionmeters. I love buying stuff from Japan, they have all the best stuff!

One retro item i have, and i never seen people talk about is the gameboy micro. Its just a tiny gba with a changeable front. I spent the week playing kong: the 8th wonder due to a lack of internet.

I've watched the RetroFuture. That TV De Advance kit is a nightmare

Love Mandarake, even online it's a great place to get cheap Japanese Transformers and Gundam kits!

I think the Japanese usage of the term "junk" refers to loose items and parts.

0:29 FM TOWNS ACKNOWLEDGED

Junk zone means not necessary something it’s broken, it means untested due the amount of things they buy there it’s really hard to test everything and they focus on modern tech or expensive things, and others simply are throwed in a box, ironically most of hard off stores have a section we’re cou can plug things and testing by your self also you can pick a tv to plug a console. Another reason for the junk section it’s having a big amount of the same article and simply put in a shelf to avoid testing or packing it individually, and you can find real gold mines over there waiting being found

I saw the name and I immediately knew who it was. You’re the only James in my eyes

I always go to every Hard Off I can any time I visit my relatives in Osaka. But even Hard Off, at least in the Sennan area, is just overstocked with saltwater fishing gear. It's like "ah yes, fishing for kurodai in Osaka Bay, my favorite form of electronics. When I think of Nintendo 64 games, I just get the itch to fish."

I hope your kid grows up to also make silly things outa game consoles and love retro gaming.

WarioWare GCN is so good, great pick, and I've never actually seen a copy of Electroplankton, didn't know it had a big box lmao at the DDR Disney Rave

Great vid james ! Pokemon FireRed is Gen 1 red, with gen 3 sprinkled in every now and again

I thought it was James Charles when I woke up

I went to a hard off he’s not kidding about the junk section I have been in Japan for about 2 weeks from today and been collecting mostly GBA games. Awesome Content JAMES 👍

I spent 2 days in Akihabara and I still missed a lot of this. You're right in that prices have shot up though.

James, you scheduling the next trip here already right? RIGHT?! Glad you had a blast here even if you couldn’t do all you wanted because you were with family.

Well done Pim I knew you could do it!

I think the Tap-tap game is used. Japanese people really take good care of their stuff and because space can be limited for some families it's common that you completely put away something when you know you're not gonna use it for a while...I learned about this because the Virtual Boy box has cute illustrations on the flaps which tells you how to put back everything. Edit: after I commented James confirmed that it is indeed used haha. Its awesome how mint Japanese stuff is.

Those GBA modkits are notorious for being faulty, even when brand new, so the fact that it worked right out of the box is a pretty cool get.

Ooh you got a StudyBox! The belt on mine is broken so I can’t test my cassette. I’ll upload a stereo recording of it somewhere if you want to try making your own copy of the tape

I will defend untested eBay listing because sometimes they do work. I bought a Model F AT untested for $180 when they were easily going for $400. An internal cable was unplugged and once I addressed that, I got it working. I made out like a bandit with that keyboard.

Beep is amazing, the staff are really knowledgeable

6:52 i want that entire bin of umd's

>label says "tap-tap mat" >whacking with the hammer doesn't work well >gentle taps work better I mean, they weren't lying there...

nakano broadway is absolute fire

god james place is truly the coolest videogame museum

Very good point. Untested on eBay means that it just doesn’t work.

This is some good stuff. Can’t wait to see more

i went to a book off and there was a fujimi enthusiast ferrari daytona kit in the model kit section

Those steering wheel controlers on arcade machines where the bane of my existance, i always wanted to use them and i never could bc arcades costed a kidney in my country and when i finally got to use one in a racing game, they sucked! that thing barely responded to the imputs, idk if the machine was borked or what, they really sucked, i was so disapointed, had to wait a few years and get a home steering wheel with force feedback to feel what i always wanted to feel when using a wheel like that hhaaha

0:22 HOLY MOLY THATS THE LIMITED EDITION GAME AND WATCH HOW DID YOU FIND THAT THING MY GOD

There's the Densha de Go! series too ("Let's go by train!"), I don't think it's French :D

Beep Akiba is sick as shit, a lot of pc98 games. I bought my copy of Rance 3 from there last Winter

I think james was in Japan at the same time as me lmao

9:31. THE COLLECTION IS SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL!

I forgot about Hard Off. Never made it to one sadly.

Prices at hard off suck compared to a few years ago, like 3x across the board vs what I'm used to and even that was high compared to when I started buying. I went to two a month ago and they both got rid of their game junk bins and instead have special "retro" corners.

I really want to live in Japan and this is fueling my desire to do so

ddr extreme and max 2 fr (and that iidx controller looked cool)

I went to Book Off in Tokyo and found a shelf of DS games for under 300円.. Of course I got Animal Crossing there

You're probably such a cool dad, dude

Everyone wants to be stylin' out in their vintage Pikachu pants 😂😂⚡️⚡️